NY Threatens to Shift $47M in Tribes' Road Work

The Cuomo administration says it will shift $47 million in planned road and bridge construction on Seneca Indian land to other western New York localities if an ongoing dispute with the tribe isn't resolved quickly.

State Department of Transportation Commissioner Joan McDonald announced Thursday that the funds would be relocated to other road improvement projects if Seneca Indian Nation leaders didn't reach an agreement with New York on the $3.4 million fee the tribe is seeking for overseeing improvements to a stretch of Interstate 86 on Seneca land.

The dispute is tied to the $400 million in casino profit payments the Senecas owe to the state. McDonald says the fees sought by the Senecas for the highway project will be placed in escrow and deducted from the amount owed to the state.